Lamb Korma ...

A Lamb Korma has become one of my favourite things of late - quite a lot of pubs have them on the menu. Slow cooked and flavoursome, they hit the spot for lunch or dinner...
Julie Goodwin has one listed in her current book, The Heart of the Home. I tried to find it on the web so I could link to it but couldn't find where it was published.
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Not the best looking dish as it tends to always be 'nappy green/brown) but really tasty, without much heat. There are lots of recipes out there so google Lamb Korma and take your pick.

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Cheers - Joolz

Hail

Hail in springtime! Then bright sunshine 2 minutes later! Sorry
for the poor video, it looks better on my iPhone than on the screen.

Success with my bread rolls ...

When I made bread rolls last time, I realised that I wasn't letting them prove long enough when I had shaped them. This time, I put them in the tin and left them for 30 minutes...
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Wow, what a difference! They were quite huge and had a lovely texture! Success (pats self on back!).
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Cheers - Joolz

Lemon Lime Tart ...

Tracy from Sunny Corner Farm made this wonderful tart and I just had to give it a go as we had a dinner guest - perfect opportunity! The recipe is here and I have also included a youtube clip of Julie Goodwin making the pie herself.
I love Julie!

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The recipe is easy and I followed it to the letter (wish I had found the you tube clip last night!)...
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Just delicious! Tangy but sweet all at once - give it a go!

Cheers - Joolz

Random stuff from the past week...

We had a quick trip to Adelaide to deliver some vehicles so we did a little shopping while we were there. A new chiminea - another place for Gus to light a fire!

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This is a picture of my new Chook House - I saw that someone called theirs 'Cluckingham Palace' and so I thought so shall I! It may be a while before we get the chooks as we are a little busy in the coming weeks/months but stay tuned! It is only a small house, suitable for 2-3 chooks - it looks bigger than it is.
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On our way home from Adelaide, we hit a kangaroo ... or rather, it hit us. It came out of nowhere and rammed into the back of our vehicle - lucky for us it was a Land Rover Defender! We didn't even have to time slow down when BANG! It dented the rear quarter panel and punched a hole in the wheel flare - Grrr!
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We bought fresh Coorong Mullet fillets for dinner on our way home - we call this the Roach Coach!
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Fresh plain orange juice coming right up!
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So good - no preservatives here, folks!
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It's creamy and very filling.
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Last Saturday I made vegetable soup - it's so easy - just roughly chop up whatever
veg you have ...
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Cover with water, add some stock powder or a cube or two, salt & pepper and there you have it. Whiz with a stick blender until smooth and enjoy!
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I also made bread rolls again ...
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First rise ...
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I made knot rolls this time but didn't let them rise enough after I formed them so they didn't puff up much ... I will leave them longer next time.
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Dinner Saturday night - Gus did Satay beef and a peanut chilli satay sauce... Very good!
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I knocked myself out and handled the dessert - strawberries and vanilla bean icecream! I know, it took a lot out of me!
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Breakfast on Sunday morning, scrambled eggs with worcestershire and tomato sauce...
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Reading up about keeping chooks in Down to Earth, Rhonda's book ...

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I got a request from my sister-in-law and nephew, would I pretty please make some more sausage rolls for them?? I said okay - I feel a bit redundant in the cooking department with both girls gone at the moment...
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What do you put in your sausage mince? I use:
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1 kg sausage mince
1 small potato, grated and squeezed of its moisture
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 egg
salt and pepper
good shake of mixed dried herbs
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These are Weekender Cookies with choc chips in them instead of sultanas.
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Golden and gooood!
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Cheers - Joolz

We're getting chooks !!!

I have long been hinting that I'd like a couple of chooks - after all, we live on 2.5 acres on the outskirts of our town, so it feels quite rural.

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Gus spied a flat-pack do-it-yourself chook run in the Stratco catalogue so seeing we are in Adelaide and driving a monster sized Land Rover Defender (same as Ruby only silver), we can pick it up today.

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We won't be getting the chooks for a while because we are heading off for a couple of weeks soon and I have no idea if chooks are available at this time of year or not.

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I'm excited!

Cottage Pie ...

The recipe for my Cottage Pie is from this book from the Australian Institute of Sport which has lots of healthy recipes in it. I've featured it before. This pie has lots of hidden vegetables - 1 large carrot, 1 zucchini, 1 onion, 1 can of brown lentils, 150 gms mushrooms, 5 potatoes and 1/2 a cauliflower. You could add corn, peas and beans too.
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(Kids will never know if you put cauliflower in with the mashed potato - Gus didn't!)
I steamed potatoes for 15 minutes then added the cauliflower in on top and steamed both until tender. I mashed them smooth first, then added in the butter and milk to make a creamy mash.
Adding sweet potato in with the potatoes would also be nice.
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(Topped with potato, cheese and sprinkled with paprika, ready for the oven. One advantage of being a 2 person household - an extra Cottage Pie for the freezer - an easy dinner for another day - Yay!)

COTTAGE PIE
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1 tblspn olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 stick celery, diced
1 medium carrot, diced
150 gms mushrooms (your choice)
500 gms lean minced beef (chicken, pork or veal would work too)
400 gm can brown lentils
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1.5 cups beef stock
4- medium potatoes, peeled
1 tablespoon butter/margarine
1/2 cup skim milk
1/2 cup grated cheese
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Preheat oven to 180C. Heat oil in a large pan over medium to high heat. Add onion, carrot, celery and mushrooms and cook gently for 8 minutes until tender.
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Add mince and cook for 6 minutes until browned.
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Add lentils, tomato paste, sauces and stock and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
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Meanwhile, steam or boil potatoes until tender (this is where I added the cauliflower as well). Drain, mash well then add butter and milk and continue to mash smoothly.
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Transfer mince to a baking dish. Top with potato, roughed up with a fork, and add cheese if desired.
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Bake about 20 minutes or until cheese has melted.
~I put a sheet of puff pastry in the oven, cut into triangles, then served it on top of the pie, just so you have a bit of crunch. I could have served greens but figured there was enough veggies happening in the pie. It. Was. Good!
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